Cycles
by Elasel Nevar
Summary: Jack Russell struggles to free himself from the seemingly-endless Cycling of his life.  Seemingly forever trapped within the events that take place during Radiata Stories, will Jack ever be free?  Rating lowered from M to T.
1. Another Beginning

**Disclaimer: I do not own Radiata Stories. It belongs to Tri-Ace and its publishing rights belong to Square Enix. I derive no income from the publishing of this story. It is sorely for the maximization of my utility and the utility of its readers.  
**

**Nevar: I swear Fanfiction keeps messing up my final drafts. I would've uploaded earlier otherwise. Anyhow, welcome readers both new and old to Cycles- the only Fanfic I have that's ever taken off. Please take the time to review and let me know if there were things you particularly liked or hated.**

**Updates will be everyday until I get to Chapter 6. Also, Chapter 1 has undergone minor editing so that it would better fit the the other chapters I've made. Changes are mostly cosmetic, making the POV seem more like it's from Jack's head than from the POV of a narrator. Does that make sense? Anyhow, enjoy!  
**

"Jack Russell!" he heard the familiar voice of his sister Adele despite the door connecting the room and the kitchen being shut tight.

"I'm up!" he declared, despite knowing he didn't look the part, with his pajamas being on the wrong way. He'd stopped counting after the fifth rime, but it had been a good eight or so, he guessed, since he'd first started remembering. Shortly after Aphelion croaked, he always winded up falling into a deep sleep, only to reawaken at home, in bed, on the day of the knight trials, which much to his chagrin, he'd failed every single time. It seemed he'd retained his memories, and not much else. He knew how to fight. He must have had years of experience from fighting his way through his past lives, but his body remained scrawny, and the absence of his developed muscles made him frown each time

Removing the ridiculous top, he inspected his body. The feeble flesh showed no mark whatsoever of the hours of training he'd spent to master the only four weapon styles that the world was willing to give him. Nor did it show any of the burns he'd gotten from fighting Parsec the fire dragon over and over. The fit body he'd been working hard on was gone, replaced by the one he had before the knight trials. That is to say, the one that couldn't survive Ridley's Wild Pitch attack. Ever.

Briefly, he wondered how he'd managed to get his pajamas on backwards in the first place. It seemed he couldn't remember most of the things that had happened before the day of the knight try-outs. He knew some things - things he realized were essential to the play that the universe seemed intent on having him star in. He knew his father had been a great hero, that Adele was his sister, and that he lived in Solieu Village. It was only very basic info. He knew the people outside to be friends to his family, but he could recall no time he'd actually spent with them. It was an odd sensation - to know the names of the people in the village, and to instinctively think of them as friends even though he had no idea why they were friends in the first place. In another life, he might have just taken it as fact and considered having friends a blessing. This time, he wasn't so certain.

It was true that in his previous lives, he may have put those people in his party. Beating the Silver Dragon with a bunch of farmers had been hilarious, but they were friends then, not now. No. Jack had tried everyone multiple times, to see if they recalled anything. Unless they were all playing an enormous joke on him, in which case he swore he would butcher all the men and enslave the good-looking women, he decided that the universe was toying with him. He didn't know who, but somewhere, someone had to be responsible, and he would be their toy no longer!

"Well, at least you look serious," Adele said, making Jack conscious of the scowl on his face. She said nothing more as they sat on the kitchen table. Looking down, Jack noticed that there was, in fact, no food prepared. There wasn't even a plate. Before, Adele had always dragged him outside and made him practice swordplay, so he'd never noticed if there actually had been food on the table. Scowling, he asked, "Where's breakfast?"

"What are you talk-" Adele stopped herself in mid-sentence, her eyes directed at the empty surface. She seemed dumbfounded, which was new for her, but she quickly recovered her composure, saying, "I'm sure there's some bread in the pantry."

That was odd. Very odd. Jack didn't know his sister to be so absent-minded. It was unusual, to say the least. Regardless, Jack waited patiently as his sister placed a few slices of bread before him. For the only remaining family of a famous knight, the Russells lived a rather simple existence. It was sickening, knowing the greatness he was bound for but returning to this every single time. He was always a great hero at the end of the tale, one deserving of fame and riches and women, but this trap always put him back here.

It was a simple enough meal, but it sated his appetite all the same. Strange. He never recalled being hungry on the way to Radiata despite never eating breakfast before leaving before. What was up with that? First, his sister, and then his stomach. Well, at least it was a break from the usual monotony. At the end of it, she handed him his father's sword, the Arbitrator, and gave her usual speech about how he couldn't use it. Whatever. He'd gotten sick of using swords, anyway. Maybe he'd try something different this time...

* * *

Outside, he found himself staring at the sky- something he always did before leaving the village behind. It looked the same as it always did – clear, sunny, and yet somehow, something told him that the world had changed. _What does it mean?_

On the way to Radiata, there was one other thing Jack noticed. Where were the monsters? This was probably the only time he'd ever seen these roads so clear and safe. It was almost like the world was trying to get him to the castle safely… Or, he thought bitterly, that the world was trying to deprive him of chances to get stronger so he could get smacked around by Ridley!

With a scowl on his face, Jack did something he'd never done before- he walked off the road, and into the wilderness. He was determined to find monsters to slay, just so he could beat Ridley at least once. To his dismay, however, no matter where he looked, it was as if the monsters didn't exist. Totaus' hold on him seemed elaborate, but he'd get his chance.

* * *

When he arrived at Radiata Castle, a compulsion formed in his head. He went over to Dan, the cook, and tried out the martial arts he'd learned from watching the Dark Elves for about four of his past lives. He delivered a swift open-handed blow to the Void member's stomach, making him fall to the floor.

Jack looked down and realized the cook had a blank look on his face, similar to Adele's before he left the house. It was like he couldn't react properly to something that had never happened before. It was almost creepy. Then, suddenly, Dan became furious, and got up, only to fall down again when Jack raised his leg into the air and slammed it down hard, flooring the bigger man. _Wow, this martial arts stuff actually works._

All of the other people in the room seemed to act like nothing happened, although he noted that Star had at least seemed surprised by his attack, if only for a second before freezing. Jack had expected them to help the cook, but he guessed they were scared. He looked to the older man again and offered his hand, helping him up. Oddly, he seemed to have forgotten Jack had attacked him without reason, because he got up like nothing happened. Then, out of nowhere, the man yelled "You punk!" before going back to his spot.

Wait. Was that the answer? Did he need to stop playing his usual role to change the direction of this little show? Grinning, he decided he'd soon find out.

"Jack Russell versus Ridley Silverlake!" the guard finally called out. It was time. Jack would now know if his choices really were having any effect on the way things worked out. Because if they would have the needed impact here, and he intended to make this quite a spectacle of it, then one thing could lead to another, and he just might be able to make the world something different.

He walked into the familiar arena and eyed his opponent for the nth time. Confident as always, Ridley was actually an imposing opponent when you looked at her stance, which belied extensive training with her weapon. Of course, Jack had missed this completely the first few times. Still, he knew she was a big softie under all that talk. He dropped his little sword to the side and crept forward. As he'd been counting, the female warrior and indeed everything else stood frozen for a while, unable to adapt immediately to what he was doing. Jack took the opportunity to rush forward and deliver a crushing blow to her unarmored stomach. Choosing "Berserker" as a skill really helped bridge the gap in power. A pity it didn't come with instant muscles, though.

"Well, well… I guess all those years of training really were a waste," Jack taunted, "I pity you for not having a childhood."

The girl fell to her knees, but her shock was over. She chopped horizontally, with Jack only barely dodging the axe. He wasn't sure he could block it with his arms, after all. That was a problem he'd have to address later. The girl had gotten wobbly from swinging at thin air with all her might, and Jack punished her mistake by hitting her in the back with a roundhouse kick. She fell forward with a thud. Jack took the chance to kick her axe out of her hands.

He pinned her down, yelling "Is the match over or do I need to stick her royal hiney?"

His heart thumped wildly in his chest from gratification. Not only had he beaten her for the first time ever, he'd also been getting annoyed with Ridley as of late. He remembered falling for her, to some degree, once upon a time. However, after so many repeats, he started finding her vexing. That was probably why he spent most of his reincarnations on the human side. At least then he could pick whom he'd end up with. Of course, he reminded himself, it always lasted but a moment before he found himself in his bed again. _Well, not anymore_. He'd make things different this time. If he couldn't get the cycle to stop, he'd sure as hell make the most of it. If he could defeat Ridley, which had never happened before, then he sure as hell could change many other things.

His victory was complete when the referee ran in and declared him the winner. A quick glance over his shoulder before leaving the arena showed him Ridley was glaring at him. If looks could kill, he'd probably never have to worry about going back to his bed again. Sadly for Ridley, however, Jack had no intention of going away any time soon. All her glaring did was make him bubble with even more malevolent joy. This world owed him for all the years it had made him do over, after all, and he intended to collect.

The rest of the examinations went by without a hitch. The remaining participants couldn't hold a candle to Ridley, who couldn't beat this current incarnation of Jack. They all fell quickly before him, as punching bags he could vent his stress on. He was glad Sebastian wasn't entered in the tournament, however. He wasn't even sure he could damage the golem with his fists, let alone withstand its Volty Blast. He noted that something had changed since his new adventure began. The others were now reacting much more quickly to the changes he was bringing. There was still a slight… lag, he supposed he could call it, but it wasn't nearly as bad as the first. He wasn't sure how to interpret it. Was the world beginning to submit to him? Or had Tottaus already adapted to what he was doing? Was it already working on shutting him down? All he could do for now was to observe.

* * *

Naturally, he was allowed into the knights despite his little "demonstration" during Ridley's match, being the winner and all. It was Ridley being allowed in out of pity this time. The look she gave him invoked inside him an amount of morbid satisfaction he'd never before experienced. He could understand her reaction: She had, after all, never before in this current life been humiliated so badly in public. A small part of him felt a bit guilty about it, but then he reminded himself that she was part of the universe that was intent on keeping him prisoner within this "adventure." He wasn't even entirely sure any of them were real people, really. No. Surely, real people would never had stood by and watched him suffer.

"I am Captain Ganz Rothschild of the Rose Cochon Brigade," said a tubby man in blue armor, "I am delighted to meet you two."

Oh, Jack already knew who the Captain was. He also knew that the captain's dialogue hadn't changed one bit. He was getting tired of all the repeat lines, so he decided to drop a really big bomb on the captain by whispering "I know your father." The effect was instantaneous: the round man stared at Jack with mouth agape. The antihero then left the area with haste, even before the ceremony was over.

* * *

Lord Larks, head of the Radiata Knights, looked at the departing new knight with the slightest trace of a scowl on his face. He didn't know why, but he felt as if something very wrong had just happened. There was no way to justify his unease, however. Jack had won, utterly dominating the tournament. Perhaps, he decided, he just felt insulted by the young Jack's brashness. But then, some knights were just like that. As long as he did his duties, Jack would make a fine Radiata Knight.

* * *

It was a pain that nothing had changed with the arrangements in the castle. He was still sleeping in the run-down room in the basement with Leonard. Jack was hardly surprised, though. If this muscle-bound idiot whom Natalie always brought along with her was stuck down here, then what more a fresh recruit like him, even if he did show amazing potential in the tournament?

Ha! Amazing potential. Jack had loved the feel of crushing his opponents with his bare hands… and booted feet, of course. His kicks were a lot more painful than his punches, but they also left him open since he'd be standing on one foot for a second or two. Definitely not something he wanted against more experienced opponents, he thought.

The only other person in the room was Leonard, his… what was the term? Room captain? _Whatever_. The older man was staring blankly into space, likely thinking about Natalie or something. That gave the young man a brilliant idea.

"So... Natalie, eh, Pops?" Jack asked, smirking.

"W-wha- I dunno what you're talking about, runt," answered the older man, face turning crimson.

"I suppose I can't blame you," said Jack, "Athletic figure, a fine ass... I wonder if the curtains match the carpet… I certainly wouldn't mind thinking about her for 15 minutes every night, if you know what I mean."

"You disrespectful little-" Leonard moved to grab his axe, but was beaten to the punch by Jack, who had, after all, been planning to get Leonard riled up for the past minute or so. Leonard was left writhing on the ground after taking a critical hit in the nads. Jack kicked him a few times, too, for good measure. The man had bitten his lower lip to stop himself from screaming, apparently trying to preserve some dignity. It didn't really help, though: The look on his face brought Jack all the sadistic satisfaction he wanted.

He waved bye-bye to Leonard as he exited the room, making obscene gestures at the passing castle steward, Al, which the latter seemed to mostly ignore. He'd forgotten how patient Al was before Jack had gotten kicked out of the castle. Oh, well. Jack preferred picking on people with more… emotion, anyway. Part of the point was to make them react to what he was doing. The other part was that he was starting to find this fun. Perhaps he'd always been a sadist under that noble hero masquerade that he wore. Perhaps it was time for him to do some introspection.

"_The path you follow cannot be wrong._"

Gawain's words from the time they occupied Fort Helencia floated into his thoughts. Or at least, the message of what he said did. Jack couldn't really be expected to remember everything everyone said, now, could he?

"_If Cain were alive, he'd have done the same as you."_

Who was Jack Russell, really? Was he simply the boy from Solieu Village who always showed up to lead a team of adventurers against Aphelion at the end of the story? Over the course of the past reincarnations, he'd never strayed too far from his original path. Sure, he befriended different people, tried different weapon styles, and even courted different women, but he always seemed to work within a certain range. He always played the naïve, energetic boy with a strong sense of justice. Everything about him seemed to flare with positive energy. Even the Volty Blast he learned during the previous life, Army of Shadows, had him create copies of himself brimming with light, which was not exactly what it said on the box when he got it.

He had to wonder, though… Was that truly him? Or was it the role the universe forced him to play, just like everyone else? How subtle was the world's grip on him? It was time, he decided, that he thought about who he would become in this new world. The Jack who always became the spiffing image of his father was something that needed to be left behind, so this world would change with him.

He'd managed to wander into the training room without really noticing, since he was lost in thought and all. Inside, he saw one of the less-skilled (_and thus, less-known_) female knights. Her name was Nina, if Jack remembered correctly. If Jack remembered correctly, Nina was another member of Natalie's unofficial fan club. He wondered… Was that really just respect the girl had for the leader of the Violet Chevre? Or was it something more? The image of Nina and Natalie making out quickly entered Jack's mind. He found blood rushing down where it normally didn't. He was pretty sure the feeling was something of his- Tottaus had never put such thoughts in his head before.

Spurred on by the discovery that he had a libido, he walked over to the knight as she practiced on a training dummy. He wrapped an arm around her waist quickly, placing his head on her right shoulder. He took a moment to savor the softness that every girl's skin seemed to have before softly whispering "Hey, Nina. How about we have some fun?"

"Despicable!" she yelled, not having met Jack in this lifetime yet, although she probably would have said that even if she'd known him. She shrugged him off, and he relented, deciding it would be easier if he could wear her down in battle first. She swung her two-handed sword low, aiming for Jack's feet, but he avoided the strike by jumping up just as it passed. It wasn't a very practical move, but it achieved the intended effect - Nina had been shocked by his dexterity. This, of course, left her wide open. He planted his hands on her shoulders and leapfrogged behind her. The force of his hands on her shoulders made her stumble forward, and Jack swept her off her feet with a quick leg sweep.

He caught her easily before she fell, and kept a tight grip on her arms. Looking down, he could feel that he wore a wicked grin as he cheesily said "I see you've fallen for me."

He dropped her to the ground, however, when a burst of smoke suddenly engulfed the both of them. The smoke caught him off-guard and he inhaled a nasty amount of it. Coughing, he looked for the female knight, but was surprised to find the Void Community's Master of Disguise, Herz, fleeing the room.

He realized it was pretty obvious that Void has some sort of presence in the castle. He never would have guessed Herz was posing as Nina, though. It was something to keep in mind for next time… Provided there would be one, of course. He wished otherwise.

He quickly rushed out of the training room, asking the nearby guardsman "Did a girl with a weird hat just pass through here?"

"Sir! I do not believe it wise for you to call Lady Belflower's hat weird!" the guard tried to reprimand him. He should have realized she'd transformed by now.

"Well, where did she go?" Jack questioned.

"Sir, I am not allowed to divulge such information to new recruits!" the guard answered defiantly. Apparently, he'd have to teach this one some manners.

A second later, the guard was flat against the wall, having been on the receiving end of a strong kick. Jack had considered punching, but then remembered the guy was wearing armor. He walked over to the fallen guard and pulled him up by the collar, asking "Now, where did she go?"

When the guard gave no response whatsoever, Jack realized the fool had been knocked unconscious. _Damn, these guards were weak!_ He dropped the man on the floor nonchalantly and decided he was late for the Rose Cochon's first meeting. He'd been late for a good thirty minutes, actually, but he only decided to acknowledge the fact when he was good and ready. He filed away the info about Herz for later. They'd never been friends, but perhaps her abilities would be useful to someone who needed power.

He walked into the now-familiar meeting room and was met by an over-enthusiastic Ganz and an extra-annoyed Ridley. He tried to act like nothing had happened, going for his seat. Ridley slammed her fists on the table, however, and stood up, giving him a glare that would've made Aphelion shudder. It made Jack freeze, and must've given the Captain a small heart attack.

"Where have you been?" she demanded to know, "We even sent someone to your room, and you weren't there!"

"Relax, honey, I found a Void spy in the training area," Jack brushed her off, taking his seat. He put his feet on the table just to be extra-annoying.

"That seems unlikely!" she screamed, all semblance of composure lost, "And why aren't you in uniform?"

Jack had actually forgotten he'd decided to stay in his regular clothes. The armor they gave newbies was just horrible, in his opinion. It was heavy, ridiculous-looking and didn't even offer much in terms of protection. Without a weapon slowing him down, it wasn't like he was going to just take the hits, anyway.

"Seemed dirty," was his simple response, not even looking at her when he said it.

"Captain!" Ridley screamed at Ganz, asking for help. Ganz, was, of course, at a loss over what to do. He'd never dealt with someone this obnoxious before, to Jack's knowledge.

"M-master Jack, I know you are highly skilled in combat, and that your father was a great hero, but PLEASE mind your manners!" was Ganz's best attempt at a scolding.

"Oh, yeah. Gawain's a great hero, too, right?" Jack pretended to think, "You should really act more like a badass, too, Tubby!"

"M-me?" the Captain stuttered, "I-I would never!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, and we have to go to Earth Valley, right?" Jack asked, "Can I go now?"

Without waiting for an answer, Jack left the room, making sure the door slammed shut behind him. At this rate, he'd be kicked out long before the Blood Orc incident, which he assumed would really shake the world up. He wondered if the Rose Cochon would even survive if he wasn't around for that. Ah, well. No concern of his if they kicked him out.

His thoughts wandered back to the incident from earlier with "Nina." Perhaps he'd make himself a Harem King, like the one in all those ero-manga he always read. The thought made him stop in his tracks. When did he read ero-manga? He certainly remembered that he had read some before, as well as other comic books, but his memory of what he'd read, exactly, seemed blurry. Ridley did always say he read too many comic books, too. _Strange_. Did the world give him false memories? Either way, it sounded like a plan.

It wasn't like there was anything else he needed to be, after all. He was about to take the stairs back down to his room, but then thought otherwise. He could stand to have better lodgings for what would likely be his last night as a Radiata Knight.

* * *

Meanwhile, in Lord Larks' chamber, the Lord Chamberlain and Lord Larks were in a heated debate. Well, Jasne was heated. Larks was very calm.

"The boy has shown nothing but disrespect since his arrival!" Lord Jasne's clenched fists shook at his sides, "He's even sexually harassed my poor Ridley!"

"Not precisely true, Lord Jasne" came the calm response of Lord Larks, "Jack has also shown he has incredible potential. He is simply… prone to impulsive behavior. Surely, you're not suggesting we let go of such a powerful recruit simply because of a few words? I mean, we kept Cross."

"Words!" Jasne seemed even more furious, "The boy has assaulted four officers, been the subject of at least two complaints for sexual harassment, and to top it all off, he even refuses to wear a uniform!"

"Lord Jasne, I understand your concern," the head of the knights remained calm, "However, we must also remember that young Jack is the only son of Cairn Russell. Think of the impact his banishment would have on our organization."

"Larks, don't tell me you're going to base all of this on the boy's parentage now!" Jasne retorted, "He may very well be the son of one of our finest knights, and he may also be a skilled warrior, but that is no excuse for a defender of the kingdom to act in such a revolting manner!"

"I- you are right, Lord Jasne," Larks relented, giving into Jasne's insistence. Besides, something about Jack gave him a bad feeling. He grabbed some parchment and added, "Such behavior is unbefitting of a Radiata Knight. I will have the boy removed by morning."

"Excellent, Larks!" Jasne's fury seemed to subside with most haste, "I shall leave it to you to see him off!"

* * *

Meanwhile, outside the castle…

Jack had wandered rather purposefully into the Black Town of Night and Lust. His left boot was presently planted on the face of one Alba, assistant trainee leader to the Void Community. The poor fool had attempted to rob him at first sight. Jack had to admit that his own body made him look rather plain. It was certainly not the appearance he'd want when he made his play for Totaus.

"Man, Alba, you must be a real wuss," he began, increasing the pressure on the man's face, "You just got beaten up by an unarmed teenager. What would Ortoroz think?"

"H-hey! Come on, man!" Alba pleaded, although the words were a bit unclear due to the presence of Jack's foot on his face, "You don't have to tell the boss! We can work this out!"

"What's my silence worth to you, then?" Jack asked, giving the man room to breathe. The night had just begun, just as this story was only beginning.


	2. White in the Darkness

**Nevar: Greetings returning readers! In case you all skipped Chapter 1, I uploaded a newer version along with this chapter. I don't think there's a problem with not reading through it again, but you might want to anyway since it's been months since you read that one. Welcome to the Cycles Update. I will be uploading a new chapter everyday until I reach the promised Chapter 6. This story is very different from the original Cycles that I uploaded (from here onwards,at least), but there are similarities. **

**This story is not intended to be a Romance, and I've not labeled it as such, but there IS a pairing, and you should naturally expect some romance. If you'd like to read my thoughts on each chapter, I've included some of my thoughts while I was writing this at the bottom of each. Sorry if that sounds narcissistic.  
**

A satisfying thud sounded as Alba fell to the dirty ground a second time. The older man was wheezing from exhaustion, having been subject to Jack's rapid unarmed attack. It had taken two defeats to convince Alba he was no match for Jack before. Now the young antihero just decided to do it all in one go instead of waiting a day to do it. He doubted he had that kind of time to wait around, after all.

"Give up yet, Alba?" Jack asked, brushing off imaginary dust from his shirt.

"I give! Whaddaya want?" the man asked, shrinking away from the boy.

"I need to talk to Herz," he said, seeing the value of her talent in the coming chaos.

"I-I'm not sure I can do that," Alba stuttered, backing away some more, "I mean, she's kind of a rank above me."

"Well, you'll just have to think of something, won't you?" Jack asked, the threat in his voice made clearer as he cracked his knuckles, "I want her to meet me tomorrow at midnight, in front of Theater Vancoor."

The look of the Void Assistant Trainee Leader fleeing for his life was one of the more satisfying things Jack had ever seen. The plan was in motion, and he'd managed to do it the weakness of his body. There was no way he could take on all of the Void Community members if they retaliated, but he was sure that the warrior guild, Theater Vancoor, could. Still, he couldn't rely on such tricks forever. He needed to build power again, and quickly.

The sudden activity within his mind felt refreshing- like a breath of fresh air after being shut inside a septic tank. Not that he would know what that was like, of course, but he was sure it was comparable. Probably. The space between his ears had felt like it had been gathering cobwebs for a very long time. He couldn't tell whether stupidity had been something natural to him or if it had been something fabricated by this world, too. But that was in the past. His body and mind were his now, and that's how they would stay.

As if on cue, the shadow of a memory tugged at the corner of his consciousness. He'd had this feeling before- as if there was something he should be remembering, but it danced out of his grasp like a phantom every time he reached for it. Whatever that feeling was, he'd get nothing from standing there thinking about it.

Jack's nose crinkled reflexively as he inhaled the stench that seemed to dominate the Bandit Town, and it only became more obnoxious as he wandered further in. Only years of coming here during his past lives had steeled him for the vile odor. He'd gotten to the point where he could mentally block it out without pinching his nose. It wasn't something to be proud of, really, but it made him happy all the same. It was one of the few things he managed to retain from before, after all. Still, it really did make him wonder how one of the loveliest young ladies in town could stomach standing in this suffocating air all day.

Lily was, of course, in her usual spot, leaning against one of the walls of the alley that led into the Beast Pit- the residential area of the Bandit Town. Jack's eyes devoured the feast before them with gusto. His gaze washed over her from bottom to top, taking care to give extra attention to her slender, tanned legs and to the swell of her developed chest. His little meal ended when he laid eyes upon her pretty face, which wore the same bored expression it usually did. She was clothed, as usual, in her white Assassin Suit, which seemed immaculate despite the abundance of dirt in the Black Town. Lily was one of the few things in Tottaus that Jack didn't mind having to see over and over again.

If she noticed him checking her out, she showed no sign of it. She simply stood there and ignored him completely, as she seemed to do to everything else. It was an aspect of his reincarnation that always cut him deeply - to see allies he'd formed bonds with act like they didn't know him. He'd almost fallen into depression the first time it had happened, but eventually, he discovered he could get used to any sort of unpleasantness. The overpowering stench around him only served to remind him of that fact. Without warning, he pinned the slim young lady against the wall she was leaning on, her arms restrained by his own.

He could feel her warmth beneath his body, her chest squeezed against his as he pressed her tightly enough to prevent her from kicking. The young ex-hero had never felt so good. Her struggling proved futile against him. No matter his currently undeveloped body, Lily relied on speed and agility. He easily beat her in terms of upper body strength. It had just been a matter of hitting her weakness. Lily's defense was always far beneath her other capabilities. All of her offensive ability meant nothing if she couldn't fight back. You didn't have to be a genius to know that. Then again, he was confident he could give a lot of knights a run for their money, with just a bit more time, both in combat intelligence and martial prowess. He'd sortied with just about everyone on Tottaus, and had a working knowledge of what they could do and how they fought, after all.

"Hey, Princess," he whispered as he inched his face closet to hers, "Are you ready to become my Queen?"

In another life, he doubted he'd have been able to muster the nerve to say that, but now? Now he felt only waves of gratification surging inside him. Of course, the grin on his face vanished when he noticed her face had turned scarlet. It wasn't easy to tell because of her dark skin, but the young assassin had certainly blushed. The surprise made him soften his hold on her, despite his body's desire to stay pressed with hers.

A part of his brain told him to brace himself for her knee hitting his gonads any second now, but much to his relief, the low blow never came. It took him all of ten seconds holding her like that to realize she'd stopped moving entirely. Naturally, the first thought was that she'd either lost consciousness or died, so he immediately pulled away, making sure he was still holding her up with his arms. Her eyes were open, and Jack wondered if he'd somehow killed her. The idea that he'd killed her made him feel like throwing up. Then he realized it was just Tottaus' resistance to change acting up again.

"Lily?" Jack tried to shake her out of it.

Suddenly the girl screamed. Jack's ears actually rang with how loud she was, which was outside of what he knew about her. She might have been cocky at times, but she'd always spoken with a moderated voice. Jack's heart started to beat more quickly with panic. The girl's eyes stayed unclosed as she screamed; although Jack got the feeling she wasn't even looking at him. What he saw and what he heard made a thousand tiny needles prick the back of his neck, his hair standing on end. He also had the distinct feeling that his pants were wet. He hoped that was just his imagination.

Out of the corner of his eye, something bright and red seemed to flicker for a moment- it stood out in the dim area, but he didn't have time to stare. Lily's body became covered in a dazzling, red light which forced him to shut his own eyes. The volume of her screams seemed to rise as the light's intensity rose, to the point where he felt like his eyes weren't closed at all. Every fiber of Jack's being told him to drop her and run, but he found himself unable to move. _Let her go. She's not real, just like everyone else in the world._

Whether it was sorcery of some sort that kept him holding her up, his own conviction not to just abandon her, or just the fact that he didn't want to stop feeling her body against his, he couldn't tell. He didn't have time to ponder the matter as her screaming came to an abrupt stop. Jack's eyes stayed closed. Half of him wanted to keep them shut and pretend it wasn't happening. He stood there, drenched in sweat, his legs shaking despite the warmth of the day. Carefully, he opened one eye to look at the girl whose arms he still held pinned to the wall.

"Who are you?" she asked, although the usual venom she had in her voice during their first meeting was missing.

"Are you... alright?" was all he could respond, although he could feel the weight on his shoulders getting lighter.

The girl's eyes wandered down, likely to check if she was bleeding or otherwise injured.

"What are you doing?" she asked, her gaze seemingly focused on his arms, which were pinning hers. He wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"You... looked like you were going to faint," Jack's quick thinking supplied, "And I caught you."

"I... see," she nodded, in a way that made it so Jack wasn't sure she bought it, "Thank you."

"Don't mention it," Jack felt something was definitely off, "But are you sure you're alright?"

"Yes, I'm fine…. ummm…." she trailed off.

"Jack, Jack Russell," he said. He found he couldn't quite stop the grin from spreading across his face for some reason.

"You can let go of me now," she said, her tone more of amusement than annoyance. He suddenly didn't feel like pushing his luck and did as she asked.

"Thank you, Jack," she returned his grin; "I don't think I've seen you around here before."

"I suppose not," he said. Inside of his body, the feeling of nausea from earlier had been replaced by electricity. He'd never seen anyone else act like this before. For the longest time, they only stared blankly at him before returning to what they were doing. Was this a sign?

"I'm Lily," she said, and Jack was reminded that she still did not remember him, "I'd suggest a nice guy like you should stay away from this part of town in the future, but I don't think you'd listen."

"Oh, I can take care of myself," he said, the grin on his face disappearing instantly when he realized he was being challenged. He wasn't about to back down, no matter how hot his opponent was.

"Is that so?" Lily asked, the smile on her pretty face staying on as she place a hand on her hip, "Care to demonstrate?"

"With pleasure!" Jack said, throwing a straight at the assassin's belly, but his hand met only the painful impact of flesh on stone as Lily rolled to the side, moving towards the much larger street the alley was connected to.

Jack knew what she was doing, of course. She wanted the open space so she could maneuver and dodge his blows. He was also aware that she was comfortable leaping into the air to increase the force of her strikes, which she couldn't do in the narrower alley. He'd just have to take her out before she could take him down. He didn't fancy being skewered on her blades, after all.

She made a quick swipe with one and followed it up with the other, as he'd seen her do so many times. He dodged the first slash and then struck her other arm with his own before the blade connected, eliciting an "Ow!' from the White Princess before he used the opening to thrust his open palm into her stomach. The force sent her reeling backwards, but she was dexterous enough to stay on her feet.

Jack rushed her then, stopping only to get in position to hit her with a roundhouse kick. Surely, this would be it. However, his kick met only air. Lily had ducked beneath his strike. There was a glint in her eyes that made him gulp when he realized he was in a bad position. She jammed the two blades into his stomach. Unsurprisingly, the blow hurt like hell, but strangely did not draw blood or even pierce his flesh. The hit made him remember how this world worked now: he could only take a set amount of hits unless he healed himself somehow. However, at his level, he knew he couldn't really trade blows with her and expect to win yet. Her offensive power was far superior.

Even as he reeled from the blow, Lily leaped onto a nearby crate to get more height. She then jumped off of it and pounced like a wildcat, blades aimed down. The sound of steel hitting cement echoed through the alleyway as Jack avoided the blow just in time by hopping backwards, just out of her reach. He knew that would've been the end for him. He took advantage of the opening she put herself in with such a risky move by slamming his elbow down her back. He tried not to hit too hard- he wasn't sure if she could survive it- but the assassin still fell to the ground, her blades dropped to either side.

Quick as a wink, Jack was on her. He pinned her down from behind this time, against the ground. She muttered a few choice curses and struggled in his grasp, but relented after a minute or so. She was probably tired. He couldn't blame her. The moves she used looked exhausting. Jack himself was close to being out of stamina, too. Much to his satisfaction, she was breathing a lot harder than he was. It was a small victory in the grand scheme of things, but it still brought a triumphant smile to his lips.

Hesitantly, he let go of her and helped her up. She sat down on the crate she'd used as a step board only moments before. Jack decided to join her. Whatever affiliation Lily had with Void, at least Jack had always known her to fight fair, so he didn't see the harm in sitting next to her. They sat in silence as they waited for their breathing to return to normal. At some point, he felt something warm press into his side and saw that the White Princess was using his shoulder as a pillow. Soothing warmth spread through him as he wrapped an arm around her. She didn't seem to mind, but she was blushing again.

"So… your Queen, huh?" she asked, not really looking at him. Jack's heart froze for a second.

"You're a terrible liar, Jack," Lily added, slipping out from under his arm as she stood.

"You were acting!?" Jack asked as the princess began to walk away.

"And doing it way better than you, yeah."

"Hey, wait! Where are you going?" Jack asked, getting up to catch up to the girl.

"Home, I need to change," she said simply, walking towards the apartment where Jack knew she lived, "I mean you shoved me against the floor, you jackass!"

If anyone else had said that, Jack might have given them the beatdown of their lives, but somehow he could tell she was just teasing despite how he couldn't see her face at the time. He found himself chuckling in spite of himself as he followed the White Princess to her place…

* * *

It took every bit of self-control he had to stop himself from barging into Lily's bathroom, where he knew she was changing into a fresh set of clothes. The assassin's apartment was a surprisingly modest lodging, with unpainted walls that matched the rest of the Black Town. It came as a pleasant surprise that the Bandit Town apartments had electricity, and thus light, since Jack had never been in there before. Despite that, the floor creaked when he stepped on it, and he could tell it had been a while since the place had been renovated. The main room was spacious, but it felt empty with so little in it. Jack could count the furniture in the room with his fingers: a worn sofa, a table, a pair of wooden chairs around the table, and a cabinet, where he'd seen Lily take a fresh suit from. The thing that stood out in the room was an immaculate, white bed, which reminded him a lot of its owner. It seemed a bit large for one person, but too small for two. He wondered how much of the furniture in the apartment had been picked out by the Princess, and how much of it was leftover.

"You know, you didn't have to come with me," she interrupted his thoughts as she came out of the bathroom. She was wearing a fresh Assassin Suit, the dirty one being thrown into a basket in a corner of the room.

"Well, I've never been in your house before," Jack said, "It's a welcome change."

"Before?" Lily quirked an eyebrow at him, "Jack, I just met you-"

"And this is crazy," Jack offered, bracing himself. It wouldn't be the first time he had to hear this. It always stung a little to be reminded that no one remembered him, "But that wasn't our first meeting."

"Well, I was about to call you crazy, too," Lily looked him straight in the eyes, "but somehow, I feel like I know you."

"Really?" optimism suddenly erupted inside him. Did she really remember him now? Did that mean he wouldn't need to be alone whenever the Cycle repeated itself? It sounded almost too good to be true.

"Yes," she said, but didn't return her smile, "I seem to recall falling in battle against some sort of dragon."

"Oh," Jack's own smile faltered at that. He did remember that happening. He'd taken a party composed of Lily, Alicia, and Miranda along to do battle with the Silver Dragon. Jack had jumped the gun, and the three ladies were far weaker than they should've been. Needless to say, he'd been that battle's only survivor… He'd been sure to wake them up afterwards, of course, before the City of White Nights came crashing down.

"I'm remembering a lot of things that can't possibly have happened, actually," she continued, "Who are you, really?"

He wasn't sure how to respond. He wasn't, after all, sure who he really was- how much of his history was real and how much was a fabrication? Instead, he answered the only thing that he was sure was true at the time:

"I'm Jack Russell, and this world wants me to be its hero."

**Nevar's Notes:**

**From this chapter onwards, I attempted to write the story more from the POV of Jack Russell, and adhere to the modern fiction writer's creed of "Show, don't tell." I still fall a bit short, though, I think.  
**

**Older readers will remember that I had Jack using Chains for a weapon in the original Cycles. Those will still come up later, but I wanted to explore making him fight with only his own body for a while.  
**

**The whole Jack meets Lily scene seems a bit awkward still, but it was much worse when I was first drafting it. I scrapped the whole "Lily is actually innocent" concept that the first Cycles had, since I found it made her a bit flat as a character, which was an insult to Lily's glorious endowments. **

**For description, since I'm pretending to write from Jack's head, I'm mostly only detailing things that Jack would have cared about at the particular scene he was in in my story. For example, he noted the stench of Void because he'd gotten so used to it over his reincarnations. I wrote quite heavily about Lily's appearance, because that holds significant meaning to Jack in this setting. Basically, if I described it, it's for a reason.  
**

**Lily's apartment is incredibly barren, for the reason that, like I wrote in the original Cycles, she never seems to go home anyway. It still holds fascination for Jack, though, since it's a new place to him.  
**

**Lastly, the fight scene seemed mandatory for me. It gave me a chance to show off certain aspects of Jack's new personality. Admittedly, part of it was just me writing out what I'd learned about Lily's fighting style from having her in the party for so long.  
**

**See you next time.  
**


	3. Steel and Water

**Nevar: Yes, this one is a little short. There was some stuff here I had to delete because it was going to be inconsistent with future chapters. My apologies.**

Jack spent a long time discussing what he'd been through, and told her as much as he could figure out from what had been different during this latest life. He talked about how he'd aided both human and non-human parties in the coming war at different times, how it was all a secret, elaborate plan by the Silver Dragon, who was currently in the Castle, and then about how he kept waking up in his bed back in Solieu Village. He also mentioned how the world had been changing, little by little since this latest adventure had started, but made sure to leave out the parts involving sexual harassment. He didn't think she needed to know about those other times.

For her part, Lily nodded, but kept quiet otherwise. He realized it was a lot of information to swallow, but she seemed to believe it. That came as a huge relief to him, as his story had always been dismissed before. But why was it that only Lily had reacted this way? Did it have something to do with the strange light he'd seen in the alleyway? Jack needed to know, but she seemed to be about as clueless as he was.

"I think we need to free more people," Lily said after Jack had finished explaining.

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, although he had an idea

"Like what you did with me," she said, "Get that red light you saw to appear again."

"I don't even know how that happened," he said, and he meant it, too- he'd never seen anything like that in his life- well, lives, really, but that was beside the point.

"How did you get it to happen to me, then?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow. It was a mannerism he was starting to hate, since the answers were never easy. _I was trying to molest you, so stop asking._

"I- I'm not sure," he answered, pretending to remember as he tried to think of a believable lie, "I kind of just talked to you."

"Was it something you said, then?" she pressed. Yep. He wasn't sure how he'd get out of this one.

"I don't really remember what I said," he lied, "I mean, you fainted and all."

"Is that so?" she looked him straight in the eye, and for a moment he thought she was about to explode on him, "That's too bad."

"Yeah," he said, releasing a breath he'd been holding.

"I guess we'll just have to shake things up some more, then," Lily said casually as she went over to her table and picked up an apple from the fruit basket on top of it.

"So you think that the answer really is to do things differently from how I remember?" Jack asked. It was exactly what he'd been doing before he'd met her. Of course, now that he knew that they weren't just mindless dolls acting out a role, his stomach tightened a bit at the idea. _I'm going to be hurting real people._

Hell, he'd hurt real people already. He wanted his freedom, but he didn't want people he'd fought alongside over his several lives to get hurt. So far, he'd only damaged people he didn't really know very well, except for Ridley, of course… He felt particularly bad about that. _Would they be alright when they faced the Blood Orcs without him? _

"Come on," she said, pulling his arm, "We've got work to do."

"Hang on," Jack pulled the arm away, as strange as that act was to him, "I'm not meeting Herz until tomorrow night!"

"Herz? I could get her to meet you right now," Lily offered. Jack gulped. That wasn't why he wanted to wait. He needed time to think. He didn't even have the time to think of a way to make Lily slow down. _I didn't think I'd run into someone who wanted to be free more than I did! Sheesh._

Before he could come up with a response, however, he realized he was alone in the apartment. Lily was gone. His insides suddenly felt hot as his blood began to boil. He wasn't ready yet! He ran out of the apartment and onto the street, but there was nothing to greet him but the darkness of night. She was gone, and there was no trace of her white-framed body anywhere. _How did she get out so quickly?_

_Dammit. _ He supposed he'd have no choice but to go through with it now. He couldn't afford to get on Lily's bad side right now- besides the fact that she was the hottest girl in his dating range; he had to consider how she was the only person who could remember things from before this life. He stood more of a chance to understand things with her help than without her.

With a deep sigh, he turned to go back inside. It was past midnight now, and the cold air of the early morning was sending shivers down his spine. Flau was right. It really was bad during the morning. He'd have to ask her how she managed to stay warm, wearing what she did. Not that he was going to complain, of course. Flau was almost as satisfying to look at as Lily. _Why did Void have so many hot women, anyway? _

However, as his hand touched the door knob of the apartment building, he felt himself shudder, and not from the cold. Without looking, he could tell that someone was standing behind him, where there had only been empty space a moment ago. How many people did he know who could move that silently and quickly? He supposed most of Void fit that category, but the pinprick at the back of his neck was telling him otherwise. His back tensed up, and he found himself unwilling to look to see who it was. _If I ignore it, maybe it'll go away._

"So it's true," a deep voice rumbled from behind him.

_So much for that plan._

"What's true?" he asked, still not daring to look back.

"You're loose," the voice said, which gave Jack a pretty good idea what he was talking about, "How long have you been conscious of the Cycles?"

"The Cycles?" Jack repeated, finally turning, his curiosity overpowering his anxiety.

"It doesn't matter," he could now kind of see the voice's owner. A figure wearing armor Jack had never seen before was standing before him. A closed, wolf-shaped helmet obscured the man's face, the only visible part of it the eyes through the visors. In the dark of the early morning, Jack couldn't even make out what color the cold eyes held. He only knew that they looked at him with apparent disgust. The armor stood taller than the boy, the gauntlets clasped around a large, single-edged sword which was currently being used to support the man's weight.

That was all the antihero could glean before the figure lifted the sword and declared: "Pray that when next we meet, you will not remember a thing, _hero_."

"Who are you?" Jack demanded. Now that he could see his opponent was solid and not some apparition, he felt some of his dread melt away, replaced by fire. _He knows something._

However, he was getting that feeling he'd always gotten when his opponent was vastly more powerful- a sort of tingle in his palms which had made it more difficult for him to fight all those times he'd challenged Elwen before he was ready. The feeling he was getting now was very similar. Of course, when had that ever stopped him? He knew he'd be alive after it. He'd feel like crap, but he wasn't going to die from a little spar. _This guy's mine!_

"I'm here to make sure you don't mess things up again," the man in the helmet declared, "Telling you who I am isn't going to help me with that goal."

"Fine," Jack spat, "I'll just beat it out of you!"

Jack rushed forward. He wasn't sure what damage he could do against a guy in armor, but that wasn't about to deter him. Even if his hands hurt, that didn't count towards him falling in battle, as far as he knew. It was only things like blows from the enemy and poison that could take him out. It didn't make much sense to him, but if it meant he could hit this guy as hard as he could, he wasn't about to complain.

A loud clang sounded throughout the silent street as flesh met steel. He could practically feel the bones in his entire right arm breaking. He'd applied so much force that his entire arm felt like it was on fire from the searing pain. He couldn't even tell which parts actually hurt. The pain was just that intense. He looked up.

"You've got to be kidding me!" he cried out.

The knight grabbed him by the scruff of his neck with one hand and slammed him to the ground hard. He thought he heard his spine snap when he hit the cement floor. The parts of his brain that registered must've gone haywire, because he felt numb all over- his body expected pain that just wasn't there. Quickly, before he could get up, he felt something foreign occupy part of his stomach. He looked down and saw that the giant blade had been stabbed into the ground- straight through his body. It was like he was a piece of wood that had been nailed down. Using the last of his energy, Jack let out a scream- loud enough to be heard in the farthest reaches of Tottaus.

"Enough," Jack thought he could hear a second unfamiliar voice coming from nowhere, "This is not how we do things."

"But if we kill him now-" the man looming over him was cut off.

"We don't know what will happen if we remove him now," he was sure there was another voice now, "He has a role to play, and we have ours. Let the little insect go."

No more words came from the man who'd nailed him to the ground. Jack only realized the man had relented when he felt the sword leave the spot where it had intruded his body. As usual, some unknown force of Tottaus mended the cut flesh instantly, although everything still hurt like hell.

"There is no need to end his life;" the second voice was speaking again, "The task is done. We need not worry about him when he comes to."

They left him like that, any verbal abuse he might have wanted to throw out coming out as a groan of pain. He knew his body was clinically fine, but he felt like every bone in his body was broken. Whatever stamina he had was gone. Losing had never felt so bad. He lay there for what seemed like hours, the only thought in his head being: _I don't know who you are, but when I find you, I will kill you._

It was then that he felt something cold on his face. It was small, like a drop of water. Was it raining? Come to think of it, had it ever rained in Tottaus before? A cold darkness swept over him as he blacked out, finally allowed a moment of peace in what had been a rather turbulent day, even as water began to fall from the sky. Right before the darkness came however, he could've sworn he'd seen a red sparkle dancing amid the falling rain.

* * *

Lily's breathing remained steady even as she darted through the streets- a perk, no doubt, of the extensive training she'd supposedly undergone under Iris.

In just ten minutes, she'd covered the distance between the Bandit Town and the Warrior one.

She didn't need to look long as she spotted her friend, and future rival for the mantle of leadership: Herz. The Community's master of disguise didn't seem like much on the surface. Her newspaper-boy cap hid her hair from onlookers, and it would've been easy to mistake her for a boy if not for the womanly stomach that her midriff-baring outfit put on display. If the choice for the future leader of Void two generations down the line was going to be based on looks, Lily was probably going to get it. Then again, with Herz' ability to change her appearance, a beauty contest was probably a battle Lily didn't want to engage in. It was one thing for Herz to assume the form of someone else, but there was no known limit to the extent of her ability.

"Hey Lily," the other girl greeted her with a wave, "Herz usually doesn't see you here."

"Yeah, actually," Lily waved back, "I needed to talk to you, and I have no idea where you go after two in the morning."

"What's up?"

"I have a friend I need you to meet," Lily said simply, "Would you mind coming with me?"

"Well, Herz is kinda sleepy," the girl said in her usual third person speech, "But okay."

"Awesome, he's in my house," Lily said, "Come on."

Lily froze as she felt a drop of water touch her cheek. Reflexively, she caught it with her hand before it slid down. She watched as the rain drop slid off of her finger and dropped to the ground.

It was followed by another drop, and then another, and then many more. For the first time since anyone could remember, it was raining in Radiata. There was no thunder or lightning- it was just rain, and it was starting to come down heavily. Lily grabbed Herz by the hand and dragged her as she made a beeline for her apartment. The rain would have been pleasant if not for the fact that it was early morning, cold, and her clothes were getting soaked. Fortunately, her boots had good traction- she might've slipped and fallen otherwise, with the speed she was going.

Herz didn't utter a word during the entire trip, apparently content to be dragged along. It didn't take long for the pair to get back to the Black Town- probably fifteen minutes, which was reasonable considering Herz wasn't as fast at running as she was. Outside her apartment, however, a sight made her freeze in her tracks. Her guest was lying down on the ground, his outfit covered in mud. Jack Russell was unconscious, lying in a small puddle of rainwater.

**Nevar's Notes:**

**Here I started going into the moral conflict that's stirring inside Jack. I'm not entirely sure this is how a person would react to realizing they've been hurting people.  
**

**And now, the part I was sincerely unsure about: Jack's attacker. It took me hours to figure out how to put that in without making it look like he was some insert character that would overpower everyone. I wound up making him appear when Jack wasn't at full power yet, so it didn't seem like he was my favorite off-the-charts god character. Unfortunately, you can't really pick up too much about him in this chapter, I think. There'll be more about him later... Before I reach Chapter 6, I think.  
**

**Also, the rain. I don't think I've ever seen it rain in this game. Seriously. Then again, I only found out about Dragon Lair Cave last week... After playing this game for 3 years... Sob.  
**

**Finally, Herz is in this chapter. I wound up having fun writing about Herz, particularly in later chapters. I just think the game gives so little info about her that she's very... open to interpretation.  
**


	4. Scheme and Steam

**Nevar: This is probably going to seem redundant, but just in case you're a reader returning from over a year ago, I scrapped the old story and remade it, so in case you're coming back after over a year and find yourself lost, I'd suggest you go back and read starting from Chapter 1. Also, welcome back!**

"Herz is telling you, he's a pervert from the castle!"

The first line of speech Jack had heard since losing consciousness almost made him want to pretend he was still out. He was certain Lily's opinion of him had degraded much since they'd met again. Herz was just putting more nails into the coffin, so to speak.

Of course, with his luck, he must've twitched when he regained consciousness or something, because the next thing he heard was the Princess' voice.

"It's generally a bad idea to sleep in the middle of a storm, you know," Lily said.

He could see the smile on her face as she said it without even opening his eyes. It was strange how accustomed he'd grown to this Lily in such a short time. It was easy for him to tell when she was teasing. It was like he could hear it in her voice, even though she didn't give any real cues that she was messing with him.

_Hang on. Asleep in the middle of a storm?_

His eyes opened quickly, his little charade forgotten. He'd been found in the middle of the rain? He'd been hoping that thing with the guy in armor had just been a bad dream. To be frank, he was half-expecting to wake up back in his bed in Solieu Village. Relief mixed with dread as he thought about the events before he'd been rendered unconscious.

On the one hand, he was glad to be alive. He was also glad that Lily seemed to remember him, still. But on the other, memories of the sword occupying the place where his stomach was supposed to be gnawed at the edge of his mind. He knew he stood no chance against the knight with the wolf helm, but he didn't think he'd be wiped out so quickly. He had, after all, been on a winning streak since this life had started.

"Was there anyone nearby when you found me?" he asked, all business. As much as he wanted to share a laugh, he needed to know how safe they were.

"Nope, just you," Lily answered, the smile fading from her mouth, "Who did this to you?"

"It was some guy in wolf-like armor," Jack said, "I've never seen him before."

"Herz doesn't remember any knights with a wolf head," the master of disguise added, confirming Jack's suspicion.

The man he'd met had never revealed himself to Jack before. That meant that Jack just found the people who were pulling the strings behind this little show. Or rather, they'd found him.

"Well, whoever he was, he did a number on you," Lily said solemnly, "You were out for a day."

"Wait, what?" Jack asked. He'd thought he'd only been out for a couple of hours, since it seemed to be daybreak outside. _I was out for that long?_

"Yeah, I was starting to wonder how much longer you'd be decorating my bed."

"I- thanks for taking care of me, Lily."

"Eh. You owe me one now," she said, and he really wasn't sure if she was kidding, "And besides, somehow I doubt it'd be good for me if you were out of the picture."

"Hey, don't forget Herz helped!" Herz protested.

His attention moved to the smaller, androgynous girl. Jack could never quite read Herz. He supposed it was a good thing for a master of disguise to be unreadable, but Herz seemed flawed in so many other ways.

"Yeah, yeah, so I guess you owe her, too," Lily said. The grin on her face that he found so delicious was back.

"I still can't believe the guy took me out in like fifteen seconds," Jack said bitterly. It was a bit of a mood-breaker, but then that was all he had room for in his head at the time.

"Whoa, I at least expected you to put up a fight," she teased, but the boy found he couldn't return her grin.

"I need to pay him back," Jack said sternly.

"How are you gonna find him, though?" Lily asked, "We don't even know who he is."

"He said something about how it was his job to keep things going like they were supposed to."

"So, maybe," Lily nodded in comprehension, "If we stick to the plan and alter events, we can get him to come to us."

"That's the plan," Jack's face curled into a slight grin, "We're hunting a wolf."

* * *

The plan was simple. Jack needed to get as many people committed to his side as he could before the knight in wolf armor paid him another visit. He also needed to get stronger. Much stronger. Since he'd been left alone for the moment, he was betting that he was being given another chance – all he'd have to do was jump into his role as protagonist at some crucial point. It had been two days, which meant that the Rose Cochon was on its way back from Earth Valley. He doubted he could possibly join them for the trip to the City of Flowers after his episodes at the Castle, so the earliest he could participate would be the time that the Radiata Knights assaulted the dwarves.

All things considered, that meant he had about a week to convert people to his side. That meant he didn't have time to get everyone. Getting them to help him out on your adventures was one thing, and that seemed to be part of the puppet show, anyhow. Getting them to break free and marching against a mysterious enemy? That would be difficult.

His scheming paused when he realized that Herz was still with him, staring at him from across the wooden table in Lily's apartment. The owner of the place he was staying in had gone to the Vareth Magic Institute's library. Lily had said she was going to check for information on those knights, although Jack couldn't fathom what she'd be able to find with how little they knew. Honestly speaking, Jack didn't even know Lily was a study in magic. Apparently, she'd written a book on black magic along with Ardoph, at some point. It came as a surprise to him when she mentioned it in passing before leaving. There was clearly more to her than he'd thought, and he began to wonder how much more there was to himself that he didn't know.

"Herz, it's a long shot, but I'd like you to go to the Castle," he said, "and try to find out if anyone knows about that knight in the wolf armor. Maybe Lucian knows something. Talk to him as someone higher up."

"Herz doesn't like it," the girl said, "but Lily asked Herz to help you."

"Thank you, Herz," Jack said, genuine gratitude in his voice, "Please be careful, and I'm sorry about the molesting."

"Pervert," she said, before she left the room, and Jack wasn't entirely sure if she was kidding or still sore about that time in the castle. Either way, she'd left him to his thoughts, and some hot chocolate.

He took a sip of the drink he'd been offered upon waking. It was sweet and thick, warming his bones on a rather cold morning. The rain hadn't ceased at all since it had started, according to Lily. It was certainly strange, but the sewer beneath them all, the Path of the Spider, was more than capable of withstanding a few days of rain before the streets would start flooding.

His thoughts drifted to the four major factions in the kingdom: Theater Vancoor: the Warrior Guild, the Olacion Order: the Priest Guild, the Void Community: the Bandit Guild, and finally the Vareth Magic Institute: the Mage Guild. It struck him how convenient it was to sort through them by Guild as opposed to picking a party for the non-humans.

Speaking of which, he needed to get the orcs on his side. The creatures were dull, but strong. It was relatively simple to get them to unite, as well, compared to the other non-humans. He'd only need to prove his own power to them, and they would follow.

_Of course, I'm not sure how strong my attackers are. Do they even have an army? Orcs might not be enough._

Orcs were strong, and just about every member of their race could overpower most of the humans in the kingdom. However, experience told him that even the strongest of orcs paled in comparison to the strongest of humans. The leaders of each human guild were strong- strong enough to take on many Orcs by themselves. There was one thing he knew for certain about his mysterious attacker: he was strong, and he wasn't alone. He didn't know how many of them there were, but he knew he probably needed more forces, and he probably only had enough time to recruit one faction.

_But which one?_

His first choice would've been Elwen of Theater Vancoor. She was probably the strongest human opponent he'd ever faced, after all. On the other hand, he knew from experience how agonizing it was to get her on his team. He knew just about nothing about Elwen- she was a book he'd never been able to read, and thus he had no idea how else he could win her allegiance. _I don't have time to get all of Vancoor on my side. Something else, then._

The most logical choice seemed to be Void, considering how he already had two of their trainee leaders on his side. However, he also knew Nyx was an ass who didn't fight for other people unless it was clear what was in it for him. He was pretty sure there wasn't really anything he could offer that would sway the strange creature to his cause.

There was no way Kain would willingly hurt his fellow humans without provocation, so Olacion was out.

That left only one guild- one that he wasn't particularly familiar with. In all the time he'd spent running around Tottaus with a party of humans, he didn't think he'd ever used people from the Vareth Magic Institute. It was counter-intuitive, he knew, because mages had the capacity to deal devastating punishment, but he'd always felt a little uncomfortable around magic. Whenever spells were cast, he always felt a slight itch that he could never pinpoint. He was sure it had something to do with how he knew nothing about how the magic of Tottaus worked. If he had some innate reserve of magical energy inside him, he'd never noticed it.

Yet, at the same time, the folks at Vareth were the most likely to be able to help him. He remembered the old children's tales of how mighty warriors were crippled by wizards with a mere word or gesture. _Yet another thing I can't recall actually reading. Wonderful._

They could bridge the gap in power quite quickly, so long as they were to be protected, which was what the Orcs were for- the Blood Orcs in particular were battle-craving powermongers. He wouldn't even have to tell them to throw themselves recklessly into harm's way: they would do it for the chance to prove how strong they were.

There was still the feeling of guilt gnawing away at the edges of his mind, but then, he reasoned: If his attackers were the ones controlling the Cycle thing, then it couldn't be for anything good, right? Surely, someone so violent as to attack him with almost no explanation couldn't have been a good guy. _I'm doing this for everyone's sake. They'll thank me when they're free._

Yet somehow, he still didn't feel so sure.

"You're still here?" came a familiar voice that made his heart beat faster.

"I didn't think you'd be back so soon," he perked up, his thoughts pushed away as he laid eyes upon the White Princess- _his_ White Princess- walking back into her apartment, "How was the search?"

In response, Lily held up an old-looking black book with what looked like a six-pointed star in front.

"And that has info on that knight?" Jack asked, taking a sip of the now-cold chocolate.

"Yeah, let me just dry off and I'll show you," she said, setting the book down on the dining table.

It was then that Jack noticed Lily was dripping water onto the floor. She was soaked, meaning the rain hadn't ceased yet. More importantly, however, her normally form-fitting clothes were even tighter against her shapely figure. He could practically see her beautiful dark skin beneath it. He must have been staring, because she didn't seem all that pleased when his eyes met hers again.

"I can practically hear a wolf whistle," she said, punching him lightly on the shoulder as she walked past.

"Hey, it's not my fault your clothes are practically see-through," he said, feeling his mouth curve into a grin. Any second thoughts he was having were now gone- replaced by an immense desire to go up to her and feel her body against his.

Five seconds later, he had her pinned against her apartment's wall- her arms and legs between his. He breathed in her scent- a strong, womanly perfume that seemed to hang on her body. His heart thumped like a stampede of Mammoths in his chest. Any faster and he was afraid it would pop out. His brown eyes met her yellow ones as he searched them for unspoken words- for permission. There was a similar look of desire in the yellow orbs that told him _yes._ That was all he needed.

His lips crashed down onto hers- her body felt warm to the touch despite having been drenched in rain. Their mouths seemed to fit perfectly together, as though made for each other. Her lips tasted sweet- like chocolate. Idly, he wondered why he'd never done this before. He'd been missing out.

Without a word, he let go of her arms and she snaked them around his neck, as if on cue. His own hands wandered lower, feeling the hourglass-like curves of her sides through the wet cloth, his hands pressing into the soft flesh.

They had to stop, eventually, their lungs in desperate need of air. His mouth released hers, although it now felt strange without her. He nuzzled her neck and breathed deeply, taking in both much-needed air and the scent of her. The latter drove him wild, and his hands traveled lower. He gripped her shapely derriere with both hands, pressing her harder against him as he started nibbling on her neck. A hiss escaped her lips- a sound of pleasure.

"Jack, stop." she muttered softly, although her voice seemed strained.

His body, heart, and mind all protested, and he doubled his efforts, biting down harder.

"Jack!" she yelled, his name sounded so good when she said it.

"Enough!" she finally managed to scream, pushing him off of her.

He landed on the ground, on his bottom. He didn't have much experience with these things, but he was pretty sure it was a terrible way to end a make-out session.

"What's wrong?" he asked, trying to be gentle, but there was a certain gruffness in his voice that he couldn't iron out.

"We can't yet," she said simply, heading towards the bathroom like nothing happened, albeit with a red face.

"Then when?" Jack asked.

"You have to finish the story before you get the Princess, Jack," she said, shutting the bathroom door behind her. The sound of the door being locked seemed loud to his ears: It signified he wasn't going to be getting any today.

Frustrated, all the young man could think of at the time was to rally an army together as quickly as he could, eagerly anticipating the reward that awaited him. It didn't help that he'd gotten all worked up. He needed some sort of outlet, and fighting some Orcs was probably going to do it.

The book Lily had brought him laid on the table, forgotten, as Jack left the apartment, headed towards Borgandiazo- home of the Orcs.

**Nevar's Notes:**

**I wish I could make better dialogue for Herz. I think one-liners suit her best, though. What do you guys think?  
**

**While writing Jack's conversation with Herz and Lily regarding his attacker, I admit I wasn't sure  
**

**I had a problem picking a guild that Jack would wind up recruiting. I wanted Void at first, but then I realized Void aren't exactly the sort of people who would be complemented by an Orcish army. The Orcish army is necessary, btw. I couldn't change that or I would've had problems later on.  
**

**Penultimately, I really, really enjoyed writing out this Jack and Lily scene near the end of the chapter. I hope you guys enjoyed that. Again, I lowered the rating from M to T, but I think this sort of scene is... acceptable? I don't know. Tell me what you guys think about it.  
**

**Lastly, I now hate the words "Tottaus" and "Borgandiazo." I kept misspelling them while writing this the first time. Anyhow, cheers! And let me know what you think.  
**


	5. To Borgandiazo and Back

**Greeting, returning readers. In case the last time you looked at this story was before 2012 and you jumped to this chapter because I ended with 4 before the super hiatus, please return your gaze to chapter 1. This story has been remade and only slightly resembles my old one. Also, please, please, somebody give me feedback. Point out the mistakes I might be making so I can write better. Thank you! **

Jack left the Castle City alone via the Lupus Gate after picking up some medicine from the pharmacy in the Warrior Town. The solitude made the experience a tad uncomfortable. Even though he'd left through the familiar exit multiple times in the past, he'd almost always done so with a party at his back.

Still, the few creatures that wandered the roads proved to be no match for his new fighting style, paired with his need for something to take his frustration out on. Being alone gave him freedom to use the power of the Berserker to fuel his strikes, since there were no allies around for him to accidentally maul. Of course, it also meant no healing and support, but that was nothing Auto-Cure and Circle Song couldn't handle.

He crossed into the savage Ocho Region with no problems, but he noticed that the ancient denizens of the region he'd just entered were significantly stronger than the creatures close to the Castle. It was one such creature that he was currently engaged in combat with that was giving him problems.

* * *

His fists were starting to ache from beating the tough hides of the region's creatures. Extensive use of his arms as weapons had gotten them used to the strain, but hitting the monsters in the Ocho region felt a lot like beating his fists into solid rock- it hurt a lot. His memories of the oddities of Tottaus constantly had to remind him that he wasn't going to pass out from hitting an enemy, even if it did hurt like hell. He was still surprised, however, when he noticed his hands weren't bleeding.

"Your hide is really, really hard for being such a hairy fella," Jack told the Tusky Mammoth he was currently fighting.

Damned if it could actually understand him, but it wasn't like he had anyone to talk to. Still, it was really bad luck to run into one of the overgrown mammals. He'd fought maybe three of them, counting this one, since he could remember. That wasn't much, considering he'd tangled with dragons over 30 times.

The accursed quadruped had charged him the moment it saw him. He couldn't really remember if Mammoths were normally aggressive, but then, there were weirder things in Tottaus. He'd kicked it a couple of times, and although he knew he was damaging it, he felt like the attacks had hurt him more.

The giant creature attempted another charge at him, but he found it simple enough to avoid by stepping aside. The mammal had smashed into a giant rock, but shook the impact off as if it was nothing.

_Man. How am I supposed to beat this thing?_

He was starting to regret not bringing a real weapon. He had so much Volty power stored from his journey that it was almost funny. Of course, the irony was hard to appreciate at the moment: He had so much energy stored and no way to hurt his opponent with it.

"I am never going to make fun of those martial artist dark elves again," he said to no one in particular, now aware of how hard it was to fight unarmed.

The mammoth had lunged for him again, but he rolled out of the way and battered its side with a flurry of punches. The end result was him dealing minimal damage to the Mammoth and lots of pain to himself.

"Die already!" he cried out, climbing onto the creature's side and then onto its back.

The Mammoth thrashed about wildly, and his body felt like it was going to be ripped in half if he didn't let go. He clawed his way to the back of its head, gritting his teeth. He kept a firm grip with his left hand while he started pummeling its head.

"That's right! Who's your daddy?" he taunted, despite the fact that the creature would never understand.

He held on for what seemed like hours, his left hand whitening from the tightness of his grip, but he never let up, even as his arms ached for him to let go. The sun had started to set when the Mammoth eventually fell sideways, the sudden movement throwing Jack off. He fell onto his back hard, the breath knocked out of his lungs.

"Had... enough?" he barely managed to say through gasps for air.

The Mammoth seemed exhausted as well, unable to stand from its fallen position.

"Thought so!" he yelled, as he somehow finding the strength to slowly rise.

It was then that he realized two Smilodons were watching from a short distance. How long had they been there? The pair seemed to notice him looking at them, and began to stalk forward as one.

"You... think I'm going... to be an easy m-meal, huh?" he tried to yell at the two beasts, whose eyes seemed to shine as if saying _Yes_.

Suddenly, his chest felt as if it was being squeezed by an unseen force. He stared down and saw that red smoke was rising from his torso. That was when he felt it- he'd learned a Volty-consuming technique. It wasn't a Volty Blast like Limit Break or Army of Shadows, but he could feel its power, nonetheless.

His mouth spread into a triumphant grin as he mimicked the image that had appeared in his mind: He held out his open right hand, using his left to steady his arm as it was aimed towards the enemy. Through the haze of exhaustion and the adrenaline, it didn't cross his mind that it was a weird stance for a martial arts-based technique.

"So... Much... Pain!"

The tightening seemed to get worse and worse as the attack manifested. He didn't know it was called, but a pair of black, spiked chains rose from the ground with blinding speed, wrapping one big cat each. The monsters roared in pain as he rotated his hand to face upwards, and then closed it. The tentacle-like chains lifted the cats into the air and seemed to squeeze harder as he kept his hands closed. Within seconds, the familiar popping sound of a defeated opponent entered his ears- the Smilodons had been slain, leaving behind a single fang.

Jack pumped his fist into the air in victory before falling forward, his energy spent.

* * *

Jack awoke to the taste of dirt touching his lips. He spit it out without a second thought. Looking up, he noticed the sun was up, which either meant he'd been out for only a short time or at least another day. He scowled when he realized that the time of the war was coming closer. More importantly, however, he was annoyed that his favorite outfit had been ruined.

His vest was in shreds and it was covered all over with dirt. He was pretty sure he smelled like an animal, too. The Mammoth and the Smilodon fang were gone, which did nothing to improve his mood. He was hoping he'd get more out of this fight than just combat exper- Wait.

His gaze quickly dropped to the ground and confirmed his thinking- there were two holes in the solid earth. _So I did that?_

The deadly chains weren't what he'd been expecting for a Volty when he'd started using his fists, but he wasn't about to complain: If those were just Volty Blows, he wondered what the Blast was going to be like. He took up the same stance again, his right hand aimed like a cannon and focused his energy...

However, no chains erupted from the ground this time. The earth remained perfectly still, leaving him bewildered.

_What gives? I can't do it anymore?_

"Weird," he muttered, before proceeding down the road again. He'd lost time, and he needed to make up for it with all haste. The Desneuf Region was just around the corner.

* * *

"Well, if there was one thing I learned from being a Knight," Jack commented, ducking under a Blood Orc's right hook, "it's that you Orcs really are dangerous."

He punished the Orc's missed attack by jamming his elbow into its gut, which made it stagger and clutch its stomach. He followed up by kicking it as hard as he could. It fell into the giant hole that was Borgandiazo- present home of the Blood Orcs, after they'd kicked the Green ones out. The all-too-familiar pop sound reached his ears as the Orc he'd been fighting ceased to exist. _I was wondering if falling was lethal. Guess that means I have to take the long way down._

His eyes caught the sight of two more Blood Orcs standing in his way before he could slide down into the small cavern that served as the entrance to the Orcish home. Blood Orcs always seemed fairly intimidating, in his experience- they were taller than he was and their bodies rippled with muscle, unlike their Green cousins.

"The long way, indeed," he muttered under his breath, returning to a fighting stance.

* * *

It was past noon, as far as he could tell, when he finally arrived at the bottom. One of the reasons he hated coming to Borgandiazo was the filth- it always smelled like crap and he wasn't entirely sure what the green stuff in the caves was. He decided he probably didn't want to learn what it was. He only knew the thought of it under his boots made him sick. Hanging out in the Bandit Town, he could handle. But this? _I hope I never have to come here again._

"Yo, Galvy!" he shouted to the Blood Orc leader, who was sitting on his ass in the center of the crater with his buddies, like always, "How's my favorite Orc?"

"Who say that?" Galvados' voice rumbled throughout the caverns, as he stood up to face the antihero.

"Jack say tha- Okay, I'm not stooping to that level," Jack answered. He'd abandoned any thought of intimidating the huge Orc, since that seemed unlikely when he had to look up to look him in the eyes, "I challenge you for leadership of the Blood Orcs."

"Ha! Puny human thinks he can beat me!" it wasn't a question, but an insult. The other Orcs, Bull, Drago and even the captive Green Orcs began to laugh.

"No, I know I can beat you," Jack said, with confidence that he wasn't exactly feeling- he was probably a little short on power, even if he had taken down so many Orcs on his way down. Galvados was probably the strongest non-human he'd ever sortied with, after all.

"We kill you, human, then you shut up!" the large Orc gestured and his two buddies got on their feet. That wasn't good. Jack had been hoping he'd only have to fight Galvados. There was no way he could win this, especially since he hadn't been able to summon those chains again.

"Whoa, three on one?" Jack backed off a bit, "Real brave, big man."

"Ha! You stupid, coming here alone," Galvados laughed heartily as he advanced, Bull and Drago in tow, "Now you pay!"

"Ah, _shit_!" Jack cursed, getting ready to evade and counter, like he'd been doing with the other Orcs.

He flanked Galvados, moving to his opponent's left to keep away from the Orc's Bloody Hammer. Jack delivered a quick flurry of kicks and punches to the Orc Leader's leg, rolling out of the way as one of the underlings lit himself on fire and tried to squash Jack. The third Orc walked up to him, giving him just enough time to dive out of the way of a slash from its weird arm-mounted blade.

"I may be in over my head here," he muttered, before he was sent flying into the wall by Galvados' hammer. The blow hadn't hurt as much as he thought it would, but he could've sworn he had so many broken bones as gravity pulled him to the ground.

_This isn't good. They're all too aggressive for me to dodge one after another._

There was a faint spark in the air, and it made his hairs stand on end. It was a feeling he was all too familiar with- Galvados was about to use his Volty!

_Well, I'm out._

Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out a tiny ball. He closed his eyes before he smashed the Flee Ball into the ground, releasing a blinding light. He then made a beeline for the exit while the Blood Orcs were stunned. The fight was pretty much unwinnable. Cursing, he decided he'd have to come back another time, when he was better prepared, preferably with a party on his side. For now, he needed to get back to Radiata and see how Lily was doing with getting the Institute on their side.

* * *

A quick touch of the newly-activated Journey Pig had gotten him back to Radiata in the blink of an eye, where the rain seemed to have ceased for the meantime.

_In retrospect, I probably should have come back to recover before heading into Orc territory in the first place. Ah, well. Hindsight is 20/20. I wonder how Lily's doing._

"You look messed up," greeted a familiar face as he entered the City, "It's been two days."

"Hi, Herz," Jack greeted without much enthusiasm, and realized he must have looked horrible, even considering where he'd been.

"Herz looked through the Castle like you wanted," the girl said, "No one knew anything about the guy who got you."

"Figures. Anything else you've learned?"

"Not much, although there was this weird corridor on the third floor. Herz couldn't get it open, and no one seemed to know where it went."

"That might be exactly what I'm looking for," Jack perked up, hearing the first good news he'd had in days, "Could you go back in and try to get it open? Posing as Larks should do the trick."

"Roger. How were the Orcs?" she asked.

"Stinky," he muttered, "Where's Lily, by the way?"

"Herz thinks she might be in the Institute," the girl said, waving goodbye as she walked leisurely back to the Castle.

"Well, no sense in letting her see me like this," Jack said to himself, looking at his tattered clothing.

A long, rejuvenating bath in Lily's apartment had cleansed the smell of Orc and blood that had been hanging on his body for the past day or so. He'd changed into a Wind Garb that he'd bought with the Dagols that magically filled his pocket whenever he'd killed an enemy. He had several thousand in his possession from defeating so many Orcs, which would've been a great thing, if not for the fact that he didn't have anything to really spend ten thousand Dagols on. No weapons and all that. Still, the Wind Garb was a considerable upgrade from his regular clothing, and it was still light enough for him to move around in, unlike the heavier armor that was available.

He left Lily's apartment, dropping his ruined clothes into a waste bin on his way out. His outfit had sentimental value, but there was no way he could restore it, and the lack of protection had nearly costed him his life. _Besides, I'm not that Jack, anymore._

He'd gotten to the Vareth Institute with no problems. Inside, he greeted the woman at the front desk whose name had always escaped him. He was pretty surer it started with an R.

"Hi, I'm looking for Lily," he said.

"Directress Lily? You must be Jack Russell," the receptionist said, looking at what looked like a schedule on her clipboard, "Miss Lily said to send you right in. She's in the president's office, between the Star and Moon Towers."

"That's... me," Jack had difficulty comprehending the new information. _Did she just say Directress?_

He passed through the Cafeteria with all haste, ignoring the curious looks of the mages who didn't remember him. He took a right as he entered the Star Tower, taking the moving stairs that linked the Institute to the President's office. Several questions filled his mind, like: _How the heck did she manage to do this all so quickly?_

"Ah, there you are, Jack," Lily said from behind what he knew to be the president's desk. She had her feet up on it, reclining into her chair like no one's business.

"Ah, so you're the young man who discovered the Cycle effect, eh?" said a short, aged man wearing a red robe. Jack had failed to register Curtis' presence when he'd entered the room. His eyes had been glued to Lily instantly.

"It took him a while, though," commented Lily, "He's been through seven? Eight?"

"I'm not sure," Jack blurted out, finding the situation very, very odd, "About how many, I mean."

"Lily over here has practically cracked the mystery of the Cycle," said Curtis, "She's one of the most brilliant minds I've ever met. She's probably only behind Genius. He's our youngest professor."

"I know, I've met him several times before," Jack said.

"Oh, of course, of course."

"Sorry, Curtis, I know you scheduled an appointment with me, but I did say Jack would take priority when he came back," Lily said, sounding apologetic, "I'll be sure to talk to you again, though."

"No problem, Ms. Lily," said the oldest member of the Mage Guild, "I'm sure you have much to discuss."

With that the elder mage left the room, taking the stairs back down to his Star Tower. Jack stood dumbstruck for a good five seconds before Lily finally spoke up.

"You obviously have questions," she said, "Would you like some help?"

Jack nodded, feeling dumb for the second time since this new adventure had started.

**Nevar's Notes: I can't seem to find that balance between describing things and assuming people know since they've played the game. Again, I introduce new things into the game during this chapter. As you might recall, the Jack Russell from the original Cycles used as a chain as a weapon. I sort of wanted to bring that back, but at the same time, I wanted to introduce something new to the mix. The result of my brainstorming was the chain attack that debuted in this chapter.**

**I skipped a lot of the trip towards Borgandiazo as I couldn't think of anything interesting to put in. I didn't want to just detail the whole process of walking to Borgandiazo and call that a chapter.****  
**


End file.
